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The Fantasy RPG gets a Reality Check - Outward PAX West Trailer

Outward is something different from your usual open-world power fantasy. Rather than trying to cram even more features into the genre, Nine Dots is rethinking the basics, everything from how much loot you can stuff into a bag to what happens after a bandit knocks you unconscious.

It has survival elements, but Outward is not a 'survival' game. Rather, it's about making hard choices and living with the consequences, about feeling like you've truly earned your rewards and creating a journey that is uniquely yours.

The presser:

We are not the children of gods. We are not heroes delivered by fate. We are simply the people who chose to break the constraints of mundanity, to explore the lands ahead and the caverns below, to rise above fear and venture outward.

Watch the new PAX West trailer for Outward:

Coming to PC and console (date TBA) from Nine Dots Studio, Outward blends fantasy and survival elements to create an open-world RPG of hard-won battles and lasting consequences. Journey across Aurai as one of four factions, each with its own story and ideology, and overcome hardship to earn your place in history.

Factors such as food, water, and sleep are merely the beginning. Constant auto-saving ensures that your actions have repercussions, while no level-scaling means you must be ready for the challenges ahead. Outward seeks to rethink the conventions of the genre, from how the environment impacts your use of armor (plate armor in the desert is a bad idea), to ritualistic magic requiring preparation to wield, and even how your inventory bag affects maneuverability.

You don’t have to travel alone though. When beginning a new campaign with a friend, Outward’s two-player co-op puts both players at the heart of the story. Outward even features the option for split-screen play both locally and online--for when you want the couch co-op experience sans couch.

Outward will makes its playable debut at PAX West at Booth #7303, and be sure to bring a friend.